I have no good solutions for the social part. I usually eat lunch alone, or with signing friends, since I can't follow the conversations. (I'm HoH.) I only join coffee breaks occasionally when listening conditions are good. To some degree it's possible to compensate by talking to colleagues individually when it's quiet, but it do miss a lot of the small talk. Such as who is worrying about a sick child, or what someone was doing on the weekend or vacation. It has happened that I realize in the morning that a colleague is missing and that I am supposed to hold a presentation at an important customers meeting. Apparently they had been talking about it and assumed I had heard. Nevertheless, my colleagues are great at adjusting and making sure I get information. Otherwise these issues would be much more common. The largest problem is joining informal conversations. I do miss out on the social part. I would love to get a job in a signing environment.
